Once you enter the departure lounge of the Hamad International Airport (HIA), your first feeling would be ‘how long till I reach my home country.’

If that is true, then you can be forgiven for not raising your eye to the sky (or ceiling in this case) and seeing some feathery friends hiding in plain sight.

So the next time you are at the departure lounge, raise your eyes skywards and you will be surprised to see some white feathered friends looking down at you.

Before you jump to any conclusions, they are part of an artwork installation by renowned Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, according to The Peninsula.

Cattelan is known for his satirical sculptures, the most famous being La Nona Ora (1999) (The Ninth Hour, depicting Pope John Paul II struck down by a meteorite), Him (2001), and Love Lasts Forever (1997).

Much bigger and easier-to-spot artwork are the iconic Lamp Bear by Urs Fischer and Small Lie installation by American pop artist Kaws.

Dutch artist Tom Claassen has produced a series of sculptures of the Oryx, which appear in herd formation in the arrivals hall.

American sculptor Tom Otterness have a number of installations around the airport titled Playground.

Other featured international artists include Adel Abdessemed, Dia Azzawi, Ahmed Al Bahrani, Don Gummer, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, Marc Quinn, Anselm Reyle, Rudolf Stingel and Bill Viola.

Qatar Museums aims to introduce travelers and visitors to the growing culture and art scene in Qatar before they even set foot out of the HIA.

Picture courtesy: The Peninsula